Posts Tagged ‘cake’

What would’ve been a routine birthday bash for Sameera Reddy on Sunday night turned out to be a very special occasion when Priyadarshan, who has just given the actress her first hit since Race in De Dana Dan, turned around and said, “You’re in my next film.”

Sameera who has become very close to Priyan and his wife Lizzie and in fact spends all her free time during her frequent visits to Chennai in their house is still reeling in pleasure. “I couldn’t have got a better birthday gift. Firstly it turned out to be Priyan and Lizzie’s marriage anniversary. So we had my birthday and their anniversary party at Shristi Behl’s residence. All three of us Lizzie, Priyan and I cut a cake.”

The icing on the cake was Priyan’s impulsive offer. “I don’t need to ask him what it is or in which film. I trust him completely. He gave me a role in De Dana Dan that did justice to my presence. This, at a time when I was desperately trying to shed my sexy image.”

Not many people know this but Sameera has a secret special appearance in the Bihar based film that Priyan is shooting with Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna and Bipasha Basu.

“How do you know about this?” Sameera demands to know. “So that makes it three films with Priyan. I’m really lucky to have Priyan and his wife as friends. Now when I go to Chennai is like a second home to me thanks to the work that I do. In fact my latest Tamil hit was mixed in Priyan’s studio in Chennai, so the bond thickens.”

Her prestigious film Nagesh Kukunoor’s Yeh Husla remains stuck.

Says Sameera softly, “That’s because the producers Percept have bungled. They’re in a real financial mess. They owe almost everyone associated with them quite a lot of money.”

Sameera herself remains solitary in Mumbai. “My sister Meghna is now married to a Greek and settled on the most exotic Greek island. My brother-in-law spoils me silly. They both love me because I convinced our conservative dad about the unlikely marital alliance.”

Especially after her sister’s marriage Sameera really misses a man in her life. “It gets really lonely. And I know I’m looking my best these days. Thanks to yoga, I’ve lost oodles of flesh. But what’s the point of looking good when you’ve no one to admire you?”

Age may be just a number. But in Bollywood, Sameera knows her time is numbered. “At the party at Shristi Behl’s, I just kept staring at Twinkle Khanna. She was glowing. She just keeps getting better with the years. I hope I look as radiant when I reach that age.”

Dia Mirza lodges a police complaint against her stalker; he has harassed her for six years

By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 15, 2009)

Dia Mirza must be used to getting attention all the time thanks to her pretty looks but this recent incident takes the cake as far as being admired goes. Dia was taken aback when she saw a 30-something guy on his knees with a bouquet and a ring proposing marriage to her right outside her doorstep on December 10.

At first, Dia was shocked but her domestic help and driver took her to the police station to lodge a complaint.

A source said, “The stalker has been following Dia for the last six years. When he realised that it was her birthday on December 9 and she would be receiving many bouquets, he disguised himself as a florist, fooled the building’s security guard and landed up outside her house the next day. He told her that he is well-educated and a doctor by profession. He had even got an engagement ring for her and asked her to marry him. At first Dia didn’t know what to do but she quickly got her act together and called out to her domestic help and driver. They managed to drive him away with a warning. However, Dia did not take the matter lightly and lodged a complaint at the Khar Police station. The cops are now trying to find her stalker.”

Dia confirmed the news and said, “Yes, it’s all true. I have made an official police complaint against him. I have noticed him for many years but I never bothered much as he never came in my way. However, this time he landed up at my house which was quite shocking. It was a security lapse because on my birthday(December 9) many bouquets had been sent to my house.

The next day he came to my house disguised as a florist. Thankfully, my driver, who has been with me for ten years, was present and let him off with a stern warning after which he ran away. I hope he doesn’t come back as cops are hunting for him.”

Dia continued, “He had brought a card and an engagement ring and he proposed marriage to me. He is an educated guy and is apparently a doctor but I didn’t want to take any chances. Everyone suggested that I should file a police complaint. The cops are hunting for him and they have even warned the security guards in my building.”

MEENA IYER (BOMBAY TIMES; December 15, 2009)

Gurinder Chadha, the NRI film-maker, who tells delectable stories of Punjabi families living in Southhall, UK—i.e. Bend it like Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004); is back with her latest offering It’s a Wonderful After Life.
The film has an obese Shabana Azmi (yeah, she piled on 20 pounds for the lead character); with other popular names like Sendhil Ramamurthy (from the popular television series Lost), Sally Hawkins (Golden Globe winner), Chris Wilson and Jimi Mistry. The film itself is scheduled for a summer 2010 release, but the internationally feted filmmaker was in Mumbai with her twins, on a whirlwind trip to bond with some of Bollywood’s best.

Says Gurinder, “I’m a bit more sensitive to Mumbai after the 26/11 terror attacks.” She says her son Ronak loves it here and every time he smells the ‘stench’ in the air around the sea, he keeps saying, “Mommy someone is frying fish.”

For Gurinder however, even making a trip to the five-star hotels that were under siege, was a onerous task because “it will break my heart to go in there and pretend all is well.’’ About her completing a ‘trilogy’ of sorts with It’s a Wonderful After Life, she says, “It’s a funny film with a heart. It talks of what would happen if women ruled the world.’’

About Shabana who is the protagonist, Gurinder says, “Shabana who had to pile on pounds for the film had a field day eating parathas and cake.’’ She guffaws as she adds, “She also wore the cheapest cardigans and flowery salwar-kurtas with kothis (jackets) to look the part. And she perfected her Brit-Punjabi accent by attending a baby shower of one of my relatives.’’ Gurinder adds, “Shabana is a legend in India and working with her was indeed a pleasure.’’

And guess what, thedrawn-to-India-forever-film-maker will return to Kerala for her next film that revolves around two children. “I’m in talks with Santosh Sivan,’’ she
says.

Hardcore vegetarian Shahid Kapoor is delighted with his newfound love for sushi

By Sonal Chawla / Deepak turbhekar (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 08, 2009)

This year’s sexiest vegetarian man in Asia, Shahid Kapoor, who doesn’t even eat eggs in his cake, has recently discovered a love for vegetarian sushi. The actor was recently introduced to the delights of the Japanese dish’s vegetarian version in a Bangkok restaurant Esao and has not stopped eating it since.

Since the past three weeks Shahid has been shooting for Parmeet Sethi’s untitled film in Bangkok with co-star Anushka Sharma. The actor has been shooting non-stop and after pack-up the unit usually goes out together for dinner. A source says, “After they wrap up early from shoots or on off days, Shahid rushes to the restaurant and relishes their sushi. The actor was unaware of vegetarian sushi till he went to this restaurant.”

“Shahid was initially unsure about tasting sushi but one of the unit members asked him to try it, and to Shahid’s surprise, he loved it. After that day, Shahid has been having vegetarian sushi almost daily. One rarely finds vegetarian food joints in Bangkok. For the first few days, Shahid had very limited options and would only eat at selected places. Now, Shahid is really excited about his new favourite dish. Every time the cast and crew go out, they all know what Shahid will order. Often the crew orders vegetarian sushi for Shahid even before he does. He also recommends it to everybody,” added the source.

Shahid confirmed his love for the Japanese dish. “I tried the vegetarian sushi at Esao and loved it,” he said.

The actress collapsed during television interviews two days before her surprise birthday party

By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 27, 2009)

Fainting spells seem contagious in the industry. Priyanka Chopra started the trend, and now Asin follows suit. It’s worrying though, that the compulsion to maintain an hourglass figure is affecting the health of the actresses. They lose weight at an alarming rate and resort to unhealthy dietary plans. It’s bound to catch up, sometimes even in public.

On Saturday (October 24), just two days before her 24th birthday, Asin collapsed at a club in Andheri where she was doing a series of non-stop television interviews for her latest film.

In the middle of the conversations, Asin simply passed out and had to be revived by her staff and friends who rushed forward with instant energy-boosters.

Resting at her home on her birthday on Monday, Asin laughed, “I’ve become quite a hazard zone, haven’t I? Going by the number of mishaps, I qualify as the desi Calamity Jane. Actually, I hadn’t slept at all that day or the night before. I had been doing back-to-back interviews for London Dreams for the last one week with just 3-4 hours of sleep. On that day, there was no sleep or food at all. Anyway, I’m making up for the exhausting week with the most peaceful and happy birthday of my life.”

Asin brought in her birthday with a quiet dinner on Sunday night with her close friends. She said, “I had eight of my closest friends over for dinner. We had a ball. At midnight, they made me cut a cake. I felt like I was 12 years old again.”

Earlier in the evening, Asin arrived home to a big surprise. She said, “When I opened the door, the entire house was done up with balloons by my parents, just like they used to for my birthdays when I was a child. I had to burst quite a few balloons because there was no room to even walk. I’ve never felt happier.”

The second half of the day was devoted to spending time with the kids in her highrise apartment. She said, “Fortunately there was enough cake and chocolates to go around. So it was great fun. This is the best birthday I’ve had.”

The 51st show of her play Muktidhaam was cancelled at the last minute after she complained of breathlessness on Saturday evening

By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 07, 2009)

Television actress-politician Smriti Irani’s frail health has become a constant source of worry. She was admitted to a hospital in Andheri on Saturday evening when she complained of breathlessness while she was on her way to Mulund for a screening her play Muktidhaam in which she plays the lead role. She was discharged on Sunday morning and has been recuperating at home.

Smriti in Muktidhaam

Our source said, “Smriti was on her way to perform for the 51st screening of her play Muktidhaam when she suddenly started feeling quite unwell. She complained of uneasiness and breathlessness and was immediately taken to a hospital in Andheri. The audience was informed about Smriti’s ill health and the play was replaced at the last minute by another one on Saturday evening. Even yesterday’s show at the Sophia auditorium in Breach Candy was cancelled at the last minute and replaced by one of her other productions, Ek Chokri Saav Anokhi. Smriti was discharged on Sunday but has been advised complete bed rest.”

Kamlesh Mota, director of Muktidhaam, confirmed the news and said, “Smriti was fine on Saturday morning after our 50th show of Muktidhaam. After the show, Smriti even bought a cake and we had a small celebration at her house. But as she suddenly had a breathing problem, we had to not only cancel the evening show but also all the shows for the next few days.”

Incidentally, Smriti has already been hospitalised twice due to exhaustion and overwork. She was also hospitalised in November 2006 after being diagnosed with dengue and typhoid.

Yesterday, Genelia D’Souza politely turned down Fardeen Khan and Tusshar Kapoor’s invitation to celebrate her birthday with them

By Ashwini Deshmukh (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 06, 2009)

Genelia D’Souza is a self-confessed homebody. This recent incident just proves that she prefers to put up her feet at home and spend time with family rather than have late night parties. She didn’t think twice before turning down Fardeen Khan and Tusshar Kapoor’s request to celebrate her birthday yesterday with them.

To bring in her birthday, the film’s producers from Studio 18 had got her to cut a cake at Mehboob Studio on Tuesday night in the presence of Abbas Mustan and Rumi Jaffrey. As co-stars Fardeen, Tushar and Prachi Desai weren’t present, they decided to celebrate Genelia’s birthday with a grand party.

However, Genelia excused herself from the party. Genelia said yesterday, “I am spending the day with my family. It is something I do every year.”

A source said, “Genelia politely turned down the invitation. As she has been working throughout the year without taking a day off, she desperately wanted to spend the day at home with her family.”